Tracked vehicles commonly involve the use of two or more endless belts or tracks that are supported by corresponding bogie assemblies. A plurality of road wheels mounted to the bogie assemblies roll along the tracks and support the vehicle, while a drive wheel or sprocket provides the driving force for the track, thereby causing the vehicle to move. The tracks provide a much larger surface area than is generally the case with a wheeled vehicle and thereby exert a much lower force per unit area on the ground being traversed compared to a conventional wheeled vehicle of the same weight. Accordingly, tracked vehicles are well-suited for use on soft and uneven ground, such as mud, ice, and snow. They are also ideal for use on large, heavy vehicles, again for primarily the same reason of lower force per unit area on the material being traversed.
A tracked vehicle is directed or steered by varying the speed of the tracks on opposite sides of the vehicle. However, the mechanisms for varying the track speeds often act abruptly, e.g., by suddenly applying braking forces or driving forces to the tracks. The sudden application to the tracks of the braking and driving forces increases the stresses imposed on various driveline components (e.g., clutches and transmissions) as well as on the track links themselves.